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Mount Prospect's Honey Butter impresses with decadent brunch dishes

The first tip-off that Honey Butter Breakfast + Lunch in downtown Mount Prospect might be worth checking out is the hungry huddle of Sunday brunchers waiting outside the front door for a table. But once your name finally gets called and you take a seat to watch servers deliver heaping plates of breakfast, brunch and lunch creations, you'll realize it was worth the wait.

Five months ago Honey Butter opened in a tight, V-shaped space that used to be a pizza joint in a small strip mall on Northwest Highway. You could easily miss it while driving by. But don't be fooled by its lack of curb appeal. After finding a parking spot in the narrow lot out front or around the block within Mount Prospect's downtown triangle, it will be easy to see why a loyal following is already packing this shoulder-to-shoulder eatery offering a prodigious menu of flavor-bursting entrees.

Following our half-hour wait for a table, service was prompt with coffee and menus at the beginning and throughout our visit. We never got past the breakfast page before finding three dishes that we considered must-orders.

It's worth noting that the culinary crown jewel of our order was the French toast Trio, which came out first. This combo plate features Honey Butter's rich Red Velvet French toast cake with puffy swirls of cream cheese inside and fresh cut strawberries on top. Next to that is a slice of the Banana Nut Bread French toast covered with sautéed banana slices, toasted pecans and a drizzle of caramel sauce. The third component was a classic French toast slice topped with creamy pink mascarpone sauce.

Whipped cream and a chocolate drizzle complement this dish, which comes about as close as you can to fireworks on a plate. If you're ordering the trio for yourself, I highly recommend a very light dinner the night before. We strategically shared bites of this richly sweet but light-tasting treat in order to have enough room for our other menu selections.

  Strawberry Nutella crepes are one of many sweet options on the menu at Honey Butter in Mt. Prospect. Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com

Yes, we actually had the strength to try more dishes - please hold your sympathy.

I'm always interested in items I've never seen on other menus, so the Pot Roast Benny eggs Benedict caught my eye. I was a big fan of the savory, slow-cooked, gravy-textured pot roast on toasted English muffins that supported two poached eggs drizzled with hollandaise sauce. This creamy eggs and beef combo was fantastic from the first bite on.

  Honey Butter owners George Tselos, left, of Elmhurst and Peter Korbos of Palatine show off some dishes whipped up for the Monday lunch crowd. The downtown Mt. Prospect eatery has been open for five months. Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com

However, the presentation didn't quite match up with the flavor. The Pot Roast Benny shares half the plate with regular looking and tasting diced hash brown potatoes and a thin pineapple wedge. For a dish that tasted this good, I would have incorporated a little more color and flavor with the sides. Maybe some more fruit tartness to mesh with the runny egg yolk spilling over savory beef?

My partner chose the veggie skillet, featuring a crispy fried egg covering mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, asparagus, broccoli and house-made potatoes in a steel skillet. Not only did this look healthy, but each bite produced different tastes.

With all three of these dishes lined up side-by-side, our table was the one people walked by with “oh look what they ordered” expressions on their faces. What's noticeable is that many of our brunch selections looked heavy but actually tasted light - particularly the egg dishes and a side order of pillowlike fluffy pancakes.

  Grilled crabcakes drizzled with chipotle ranch tops Honey Butter's crabcake salad. Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com

Yes, we struck brunch gold, but there's a lot more on Honey Butter's menu to explore. The breakfast page also features waffles (yes, you can get chicken and waffles), as well as a variety of crepes that include cinnamon apple and … wait for it … strawberry Nutella crepes.

The lunch specials menu features creative flavor combos such as the cranberry pecan chicken salad sandwich with havarti cheese and a selection of salads that includes a caprese avocado salad with basil pesto and balsamic glaze. A variety of burgers and wraps rounds out the lunch menu. And if you're gluten-free, you're in luck: They have a separate gluten-free menu.

My take: If you focus on the food, people will find you - that seems to be the idea behind Honey Butter Breakfast + Lunch's early success. Never mind that the basic-looking, bite-sized dining space may infringe on your elbow room, the food will quickly grab your attention.

By the way, when we left just before noon, there was still a line for tables at the cash register and outside - a good sign that this Mount Prospect dining gem has some staying power.

Honey Butter

106 W. Northwest Hwy., Mount Prospect, (847) 749-1766, honeybutterbreakfast.com/

<b>Cuisine:</b> Breakfast, brunch and lunch

<b>Setting:</b> Casual

<b>Entrees:</b> $5.99-$14.99

<b>Hours:</b> 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily

<i> Restaurant reviews are based on one anonymous visit. The Daily Herald does not publish reviews of restaurants it cannot recommend.</i>

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